Motor-vehicle.



D. PARRETT.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

Patented June 26, 1917.

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D. PARRETT.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. 1915.

Patented June 26, 1917.

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D. PARRETT.

MOTOR VEHICLE. APPLICATION man JUNE 25.1915.

1,231,292, Patented June 26,1917.

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DENT PARRETT,- OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 19317.

Application filed June 25, 1915. Serial No. 36,218.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1;, DENT PAnnn'r r, a c1t1- zen of the United States,residing in Chicago, county of Cook, andState of Illinois, haveinventednew and useful Improvements in MotorVehicles, of which the followingis aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in motor vehicles or tractors,and more espe: cially to features of construction in the frame, axlesand steeringgear. of such vehicles. Among the objects of the inventionare to provide aframe construction withthe front axle swiveled in suchmanner as to permit one wheel to be displaced out of the plane of theother three without distorting or straining the frame, and incombination therewith a steering gear which 'will properly guide thefront wheels notwithstanding such rocking of the front axle as is occa'ssioned by travel over rough'ground. a

A machine embodying the principles of the present invention.isillustrated the accompanying drawings in which;

Figure l is a'view in perspective showing the front axle and thesteering gear parts.

Fig. 2 is a radial section through the rear axle housing of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the front part-of the frame ofthe vehicle.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line l-t of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation showing the steering rod. J

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing the frame and axles of the machine.

As shown in said drawings the frame of the vehicle comprises two largeheavy side members 10', preferably of channel form, which are arrangedin a horizontal plane and curved toward each other and connected attheir front ends. Their separated rear ends are supported by a rear axlehousing 12 and their connected front ends are swiveled to and supportedby a front axle 13. Be tween the front ends of the two frame members 10there is inserted a hollow block 16 to which the ends of the channelmembers are secured and on the lower side of this block is formed alarge, heavy rib 1 7 which is pivoted to the front axle 13 by means of apivot shaft 20. The member 16 is rectangular in cross-section,comprising horizontal top and bottom walls, and vertical and parallelside walls; and besides connecting the frame members 10 together andsupporting them upon the axle 13, it forms a support for parts of thesteering gear, which are arranged within it as will be describedhereinafter. In order to accommodate these parts, a portion of the topwall is omitted, as indicated at 19 The pivot shaft 20 is journaled inanopening through the rib 17 and extends through a corresponding openingin the axle 18, where it is secured by nuts 21 as shown. A collar orshoulder 22 011 the pivot shaft permits of the tightening of the nuts tosecure the shaft rigidly to the axle without binding the part 1.7 andthe rear end of the pivotshaft 20 extends through'and is similarlypivoted in an opening in a transverse frame member 25 which joins thetwo separated frame members 10, so that the weight of the forward partof the frame is carried through the block 16 and the cross member 25'upon the pivot shaft 20 and the front axle 13'. A curved continuousbrace rod 26 is'b'oltedat its ends to'the axle13 and at its middle tothe rear part of the pivot shaft 20, as indicated at 27, in order tobrace the axle diagonally.

The front axle 13, as here shown, is formed of an angle member and afiat strap member 30 which is secured to its horizontal top web, thestrap member being bent up near its ends and thence horizontally andparallel to the angle member 13 so as to form a fork in each end of theaxle; and within the two forks are pivoted steering knuckles 33, 33provided with wheel spin dies 34, 3d andsteering arms 35, The steeringarms 35 are connected by a drag link 36 and to one of them there is alsoconnected a. steering rod 40 through which the steeringof the vehicle iseffected. In order to actuate this steering rod a peculiarly shaped bellcrank lever n is arranged within the hollow rectangular connecting block16; such bell crank lever having its hub vertically arranged and pivotedwithin the block 16 upon a vertical pivot bolt 45, and having a shorttransverse horizontal arm and a long-longitudinally arranged horizontalarm 50. The latter extends forward through the open forward end of theconnecting block 16 and beyond the forward end 'of the frame of thevehicle and forward of the axle 18, where it is bent down and connectedto the inner end of the steering rod 40, and the short arm of the bellcrank lever is connected by a pivot pin 51 to the yoked forward end of along tube 53.;

by the endwise movement of which the bell crank lever is turned aboutits pivot to actuate the steering rod 40 and steer the vehicle. By thisarrangement of the parts the point of connection between the bell crankarm and the steering rod 4L0 is always very near the vertical andhorizontal center of the axle 1-3 and nearly in line with the axis ofthe swivel shaft 20 so that the rocking of the front axle about itspivot 20 will not materially interfere with the steering of the vehicle.The purpose of omitting a portion of the top wall of the member 16 is tofacilitate the assembling of these parts.

The rear axle housing 12 is made in the form of a tubular member to restupon the rear axle, which extends through it, and its middle part isconsiderably enlarged in a vertical plane and provided with a transversecylindric opening 57 below the opening for the axle. In this transverseopening there is journaled a sleeve 60 which is free to rotate and isconfined in position by means of a shoulder 61 at one end. and nuts 62threaded upon its other end, which extends beyond the opening 57. Thesleeve 60 is internally threaded and engaged by a long screw 64 which isconnected to the rear end of the tube 53, so that by the rotation ofsuch sleeve the screw is worked inward and outward to impart endwisemovement to the tube and thence to the steering wheels as abovedescribed. For this purpose the front end of the sleeve 60 is madeintegral with a sprocket wheel 66 which is driven through a sprocketchain (37 from a sprocket wheel 68 above; the latter being fixed to ashaft provided also with a hand steering wheel 70 through which thesteering is effected.

'At the center of the rear axle housing 12 and above the transverseopening 57 there is formed an upward projection 75 to which is attachedan upright arm 76 supporting the steering wheel 70 at its upper end. Theupright arm 7 6 is bolted to the projection 75 by means of bolts 77 and78, one of which extends through a slotted opening 79, so that the arm76 is angularly adjustable with respect tothe axle housing 12 to varythe distance between the sprocket centers and provide for the propertension on the sprocket chain 67.

The end of the screw 6% which is attached to the tube 53 is made a loosefit within such tube and secured by a vertical taper pin 80 so as topermit such slight bending as is necessary in the angular movement ofthe forward end of the tube.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a motor vehicle a tapered frame, a frontaxle swiveled to theforward end of such frame, a steering gear including a bell crank leversupported by such frame, steering knuckles, a drag link, and a steeringrod, such steering rod being connected to an arm of such bell cranklever at a point substantially in line with the axis of rotation of suchswiveled axle.

2. In a motor vehicle a tapered frame comprising channel members withtheir forward ends closely adjacent, a hollow block connecting suchforward ends, a swiveled front axle supported by such hollow block, asteering gear including a bell crank lever supported in such hollowblock and having a down-turned arm, steering knuckles, a drag link, anda steering rod, such steering rod being connected to the bottom end ofthe downturned arm of the bell crank at a point substantially in linewith the axis of rotation of the swiveled front axle, and means foractuating such bell crank lever.

3. In a motor vehicle a tapered frame comprising channel members withtheir forward ends closely adjacent, a hollow block connecting suchforward ends, a swiveled front axle supporting such hollow block, asteering gear including a bell crank lever supported in such hollowblock and having a down turned arm, steering knuckles, a drag link and asteering rod, such steering rod being connected to such bell crank leverat a point near. the center of the axle, and means for actuating'suchbell crank lever.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 18th day ofJ une, 1915.

DENT PARR-ETT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C."

